Sanded and polished timber floors have a evergreen classic appeal that never goes out of fashion. Carpet and other floor coverings do have a tendency to have a style that is relevant to a particular period in time. Have you ever walked into a home and thought the carpet, lino or tiles were from the 60s, 70s or 80s? Natural timber floors never date and you can easily update the look of your home with warming floor rugs and furnishings. Carpeted homes may pose problems for Asthmatics and those that suffer from allergies. There are a few environmentally friendly coatings available if you do choose to sand and polish your floors. This link will offer some insight into your floor coating options. http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/timber-floor-finishes/ All the best with making your decision

You smashed it! I love the patchwork job, you can't even tell.

Hi Sandra, There are many benefits to both carpet and laminate. Laminate is easy to clean and can look good when done right, although it gives a colder look than carpet and can get damaged easily by moving furniture around. Personally, if you are family orientated, I recommend either matching your hallway flooring to your kitchen/dining and carpeting the lounge or carpeting it all. We have recently completed a project that did the complete opposite as you and pulled up all laminate and carpet to expose the original rimu flooring. Click here for ideas. Good luck with your decision.

We are building a new house, and want charcoal carpet. Not tending to brown nor a dark greeny shade... a proper light black. Has anyone from NZ got any brand or color they could recommend? Photos would be helpful too. We have chosen light honey wooden floorboards for the kitchen & scullery, and black tiles in bathroom, and greyish tiles in the ensuites... Getting nerves it is not going to all tie in....